Steel yourself

A few minor gripes aside, this open-top version of the 12C is every bit the supercar.

November 3 2012

David Morley

MP4-12C

With a price tag north of half a million dollars, more than 600 horsepower in the old money (462kW, to be exact), supermodel looks and just a handful of examples allocated for Australia, it's almost possible to lose sight of the latest McLaren 12C's party piece.

You see, against the backdrop of that dramatic specification sheet lies the fact that the new McLaren is actually a drop-top.

True, it's no leaky, draughty, flexing compromise with a canvas top that requires input from a boy scout, but neither does the folding metal roof of the 12C Spider seem like the headline act.

And yet …

With one-button operation and a full metal skin, the roof of the McLaren addresses all criticisms ever levelled at convertibles.

Beyond that, the transformation from coupe to cabrio manages the terribly clever trick of not destroying the integrity of the original 12C McLaren.

And in the process, the Spider emerges as the 12C version you'd be most likely to buy, because as well as improving the vehicle's looks, it doesn't actually force any dynamic compromises on to a car that (like any supercar) lives or dies on its performance.

Kerb mass rises only about 40 kilograms (to a total of 1447 kilograms; a Bugatti Veyron is almost 1900 kilograms) and acceleration times and top speed are unaltered from the coupe. That would be 3.1 seconds from 0-100km/h and a top speed of 308km/h, then.

Most impressively, the formula one-inspired carbon-fibre tub that forms the structural heart of the McLaren is so strong that no extra material was required to maintain the Spider's torsional rigidity (which is at the centre of handling).

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McLaren claims the tub was always engineered to provide for both a hardtop and soft-top variant, and it's a fair claim.

Mechanically, the coupe and cabrio are identical, too.

That means a 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 with racing touches such as a flat-plane crank and dry-sump lubrication, both designed to boost performance and durability when push comes to shove.

Transmission is a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic and aside from the brake pedal being set a little too far to the centre of the car (right-hand-drive models, which is what Australia will get, might be a bit different), there's nothing to complain about with paddles that move with the steering wheel and a simple array of buttons in the centre console for selecting reverse and neutral.

Significantly, the interior is beautifully built, neatly skirting around one of the biggest problems with low-volume supercars: they often look a bit home-made.

In other areas, the McLaren seems a bit ahead of the supercar game, also.

Which is not to say it's perfect, though, because the scissor-action doors still make for clumsy entries and exits and the 12C has limited rear vision (and no reversing camera. At this price!).

But you can forgive it some of that the moment you fire up that zingy little V8 with its glorious soundtrack and 8500rpm redline.

The gearbox makes it easy to swing out into the traffic and with the suspension and driveline set to ''normal'' the transmission is happy to short-shift and the engine proves remarkably tractable for something with such a sizzling top-end rush.

Obviously the turbochargers help keep it flexible, but even so, it's so civilised it's a bit deceiving, tempting you to think it's less ferocious than the claims.

Inevitably, the rear-wheel-drive chassis eventually runs out of grip and the traction control kicks in, but it's a pretty smooth transition and there's enough leeway to still have some fun.

There's plenty of steering feel and a slight bobbing feeling from the front end, and an amazing level of ride compliance helped no end by McLaren's clever, linked dampers that do away with conventional sway-bars.

And, as with a Porsche 911, you jump out of the McLaren 12C wondering why the heck other ''supercars'' have to be so uncomfortable.

And then you push the single button to make the roof disappear and wonder some more; this time at why you'd buy ever the hardtop version of the 12C.

Australian deliveries will begin about January next year.

And at $543,900 plus on-road costs, even those small volumes might be enough.